Organizational Psychology: Applying Psychology to the Workplace
Industrial Organizational Psychology, or IO Psychology, is simply defined as “psychology-applied-to-work”.. It is the application of principles and tools of psychology to the work environment for the well-being of organizations, employees and the society at large. This field of psychology originated and evolved between the two World Wars when there was a need to find perfect troops for a specific war situation. Today, it is used to provide solutions to specific problems, improve efficiency, and make the most of human potential in work settings.
IO psychologists study how humans behave in organizations, both as individuals and in groups. These psychologists are trained as scientist-practitioners. This means that they research the various aspects of an organization and use this information to help the organization address current issues or prevent possible future issues.. For this reason, they need to have a broad knowledge of organizational development, individual assessment, group dynamics, consumer behavior, and knowledge of ethical considerations and statutory requirements.
An Organizational Psychologist’s work includes addressing recruitment and training issues, putting adequate motivation and reward systems in place, and encouraging a culture that fosters a work-life balance. They contribute to the organization's success by performing valuable tasks like job analysis, recruitment, selection and training of the personnel, planning motivation strategies , performance appraisal, and assessment of individuals through various psychological tests. Together, these tasks promote workplace well-being and a cohesive organizational culture.
It is important to note that all Organizational Psychologists, whether they are full-time employees, consultants, or academics, have to adhere to high ethical standards set by the American Psychological Association (APA).
Organizational Psychology, thus, is a useful tool for organisations to handle the human factor in management. It serves a twin purpose: coaxing the management to adopt employee-friendly policies, and encouraging the employees to work together as a team to achieve organisational goals. Clearly it's Organizational Psychology which paves the way for a thriving dynamic organization ready to take on the new challenges.